The Ripple Effect
by ReyaSelene
Summary: Quinn's accident was a catalyst for change in the lives of some of the members of New Directions. What will happen to them & who will it affect the most? Post "On My Way". Mainly Puckleberry w/ other friendships listed inside Please R&R
1. It's Not Your Fault

**AN: So this is what I want to happen after that intense winter finale. It was inspired by my need to have Puckleberry endgame, pictures I've seen from the next episode, which (if you don't want to know what happens to Quinn, look away now) show Quinn next to Artie…in a wheelchair, and randomly Pocahontas, mainly the scene with Grandmother Willow talking about the ripples in the water and that the right path isn't always the easiest (I'm kind of obsessed with Disney movies). Anyway, you have no clue how flippin' excited I am that Matt Bomer will be guest starring in that next episode :) Hope you like it.**

**Pairings: The main pairing will probably change depending on the chapter, but as a whole it will mainly focus on Puckleberry & Quartie with Faberry, Brittberry, Raine, Puck/Blaine, Quick friendship (some others may be added as I go on, who knows really). Chapter 1 is focused on Puckleberry and the Brittany/Rachel, Puck/Blaine friendships.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the song "It's Not Your Fault" by New Found Glory or St. Rita's Medical Center, which is an actual hospital in Lima, I looked it up. Nor do I own the nurses in this story, Sylvia & Lena, who are actual people I know & you can't really own people anymore so yeah.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1-It's Not Your Fault<strong>

Quinn was just about to hit send on her text to Rachel when she felt the impact. She couldn't remember anything after that, just darkness.

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><p>"Rachel, come on let's start," Finn pressed.<p>

"Just wait, she said would be here. She just had to go get her dress." Rachel didn't want to start without Quinn, he being there meant a lot to Rachel. Finn just gave a curt nod and sat down. Hiram, Leroy, Burt, and Carol were all silently thanking Quinn for postponing the ceremony. They waited ten more minutes before Finn spoke up again.

"Ok we need to start…I'm sorry, Rach, she's not coming."

Rachel sighed and took a deep breath, she didn't want to cry. She set her phone down and everyone started get lined up. They were just about to open the doors when her phone went off. Rachel was too concerned and the others were too busy talking that they didn't hear the quiet "yes" that came from Hiram Berry, grateful for the additional delay. However, it did not go unheard by Puck who looked at her fathers and chuckled under his breath.

"Quinn, where are you?" Rachel figured this one time she had the right to skip the pleasant greetings.

"Miss, this is St. Rita's Medical Center. May I ask your name and how you know Miss Fabray?"

Not any of the others, besides Puck, Brittany, and Blaine, noticed how Rachel's face fell, "R-Rachel Berry. I'm her friend. What happened?"

"Miss Berry, we were unable to get a hold of Quinn's parents. Miss Fabray has been in an accident. She's in surgery now and she was in critical condition."

All the air that had been in Rachel's lungs suddenly felt like it was vacuumed out, "No, no, no. This isn't happening." Everyone's gaze had turned on Rachel just as she dropped her phone. Rachel stood frozen for a moment before spinning around and running for the door.

The glee club stood in shock. Puck looked to Finn who made no signs of moving, then to her fathers who nodded at him and he took off after Rachel. He finally caught up as she neared the exit, "Rachel! Rachel, hold on. What's wrong?"

Rachel paused and faced the boy who had followed after her. The look of complete worry made the tears that she had been holding came falling down. "Quinn…car accident…St. Rita's." was all Puck could understand through her sobs and he felt his stomach drop. He grabbed her hand, dragged her out of the building, and they ran to his truck. Rachel's veil came flying off; anybody else had seen them they might think it was like scene from a movie, the bride running away with one of the groomsmen. Unfortunately, for them at the moment it wasn't one of those types of movies.

As soon as Puck had run out, Mr. Schue had picked up Rachel's phone after he heard a faint, "hello, hello, Miss Berry?"

"Hello," He answered the phone slightly confused. The nurse informed him what was going on once he explained he was there teacher. When he informed the kids he was met with a mixture of reactions. Some of them stood there in shock and others burst into tears. It took a short while to get everyone organized into cars before they left for the hospital.

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><p>At the hospital Rachel and Puck ran to the nurses' station, Rachel was still clinging to Puck's hand like it was her lifeline. During the car ride she had managed to stop the sobs that had racked her body. Her voice was a lot stronger than how she felt at the moment, "Quinn, Quinn Fabray where is she?"<p>

A friendly-looking nurse with dark brown pixie cut hair came up to the two teenagers, "You must be Rachel Berry?" Rachel just nodded her head, "Hi my name is Sylvia; I'm the one you talked to over the phone."

The brunette was thankful to have a kind nurse instead of a bitchy one like she had when she got laryngitis. "This is Noah." Puck didn't have the energy to correct her, he just nodded his hello. "Where is Quinn? Can we see her?"

"Well, Miss Fabray is in surgery still so you can't see her at this moment?" Rachel squeezed Puck's hand tighter.

Puck finally found his voice, "Do you know what happened? Is she going to be okay?"

Sylvia gave them a sympathetic look, "It seems Quinn was texting and driving and she ran a stop sign. She was hit by a truck on the driver's side. I won't be updated with her condition until she gets out of surgery. If you go sit down over there, I'll come find you and let you know as soon as I find out."

The pair muttered "thank you" and the nurse walked away. Rachel turned to Puck and looked at him, "This is all my fault, Noah. If I hadn't had the wedding today or been texting her, she would be okay." Rachel looked down, not able to see the blame that would surely be in his eyes.

Instead Puck lifted her chin so she would look at him, "Rachel, look at me. This is not your fault. It is just a horrible set of circumstances. You did not make this happen." That's when Rachel collapsed into him, sobbing. He picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the chairs. He was about to set her in her own seat, but she clung to him tighter so he sat down and situated her on his lap. He held her while she cried and every time he would hear her say "it's my fault" he'd reply "no it's not" and rubbed circles on her back. And that's how everyone found them when they arrived. Finn made no move to go to his fiancé; he simply stood by his mother while the rest of the club took seats and huddled around Puck and Rachel. Surprisingly, Brittany took one of the seats next to the pair and grabbed one of Rachel's hands. Brittany may not be the smartest, but she could read people and she could tell Rachel was hurting the most out of everyone.

The kids sat there in silence. They didn't know how long they sat there before the nurse came walking towards them, but to them it felt like an eternity. When Puck saw Nurse Sylvia walking up, he nudged Rachel to get her attention. By now she had stopped vocalizing her mantra of self-blame and they had turned to silent sobs. Sylvia looked around the group of children and the few adults before settling her gaze on the pair she met first, "Quinn is out of surgery. She's going to make it. However, she is still unconscious at the moment and it is very unlikely that she will wake up anytime tonight. I would suggest going home and getting some rest and coming back in the morning to check."

There was a collective sigh of relief as the woman walked away. Mr. Schue began organizing when everyone would meet up again and slowly everyone began to trickle out of the building. Finn left without sparing a glance at Rachel. Finally the only ones that remained were the Berry's, Puck, Blaine, Brittany, and Santana. Rachel finally spoke up, "I'm not leaving."

"Rachel honey, are you sure you don't want to go home and rest?" her father's asked. Sylvia who had heard the girl's declaration made her way over again.

She vigorously shook her head, "No, I can't leave until she wakes up. I won't leave her here alone." Her fathers looked to the nurse for approval and she nodded her consent. Then they asked if anyone else was planning on staying. Puck told them he would stay with her and asked if they would call his mom. The men agreed and they left to go get them some extra clothes.

When they came back, Rachel refused to get up from her spot. That's when Brittany decided to step in. She stood up and pulling on Rachel's hand, "It's ok to get up. I'll go with you to help and you can pretend I'm Puck for a little bit. I'm really good at pretending." Rachel looked up at the girl and let a small smile creep onto her face.

She let Brittany help her out of her spot and she looked to Puck. He nodded, "I'll meet you right back here." Puck grabbed his bag of clothes, Santana grabbed Rachel's bag and her dad's said their goodbyes. The girls headed to the women's bathroom.

Once in the bathroom Santana reached in the bag and pulled out a pair of black yoga pants, a pink V-neck, and a pair of comfortable-looking shoes. After Rachel got changed Santana grabbed her wedding dress and told her she would drop it off at her house for her. Then she started helping Rachel remove her make-up and clean her face, while Brittany took the clips out of her hair and gently brushed it. After they were done Rachel got up and hugged both of them, "thank you so much."

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><p>Meanwhile, Puck had made his way to the men's bathroom as soon as Rachel was out of sight, with Blaine following after him. Blaine had stayed seeming to know that if Puck got the chance to be away from Rachel he would need someone. This proved to be true once they got to the restroom. Puck braced himself against the wall and started breathing heavily like he had just run a marathon. Blaine walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. The taller boy looked at Blaine and slid his back down the wall until he reached the ground. Blaine sat down next to him, "I promise I won't tell anyone if you need to cry."<p>

Puck chuckled in spite of himself, "Thanks man." Puck wasn't as close to Blaine as some of the other guys in glee, but he thought he was a cool dude and was glad it was him that had stayed behind. Despite not knowing him long, Blaine seemed to know that Puck needed someone to lighten up the atmosphere at the moment or else he wouldn't be able to keep it together for Rachel. "Do you think we should be worried with Brittany's new fascination with Rachel?"

Blaine smiled, "I think everyone should. Now that Britt and Santana are dating, I think Brittany is looking for another best friend that she can talk to about relationship stuff."

Puck nodded, "Better get changed so I can go to Rach."

"They won't get married, you know. And you'll get your chance someday soon." Blaine looked at Puck judging his reaction.

"What are you talking 'bout?" Puck asked, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

Blaine scoffed, "I haven't been at McKinley long, but I notice thing plus Kurt tells me things. It was easy to piece together that you like her, a lot. I heard _Pretending_ and I know there is no way in hell Finn could write that. You were dating Lauren at the time so the song couldn't have applied to that relationship. You are one of the only people who sticks up for her even if it's in a small way. You "fell in love" with Shelby basically because she has your daughter and she's pretty much just an older version of Rachel."

Puck was kind of shocked that Blaine would know all of that, so he didn't deny that he had feelings for Rachel, "She's in love with Finn. If it weren't for…all this stuff, they would be married by now."

"Yeah, they would, but it wouldn't last long. This accident just set off the ripple effect sooner rather than later. Something would've gone wrong. Finn would want to stay in Lima; she is going to New York. He would get bored or have another change of heart, like I'm pretty sure he is having now. And then she would come to you for comfort, because in the end she always comes to you. You are a constant. She loves you back; she is just confused and scared."

Puck turned to Blaine and just stared at him for a while, not knowing what to say until something he had said stuck out, "Wait what do you mean Finn is having a change of heart?"

Blaine sighed, he had kind of hoped Puck would have missed that comment, "He didn't speak to her the whole entire time we were here. Hell, I don't even think he looked at her. When the nurse said Quinn was out of surgery, he got this look on his face. Finn likes to go from Rachel to Quinn and whenever he feels like he's about to lose the one's he is not with attention he switch. I have a feeling that almost losing Quinn made him feel like he loves her again. And this time once she has time to realize she's done with Finn's shit, which I don't think will take that long this time, don't let some stupid promise you made to Finn hold you back."

"How the hell do you even know about that?" Puck was seriously in awe of Blaine's knowledge of things that happened way before he showed up.

Blaine smirked, "Please, I'm dating the biggest gossip in all of McKinley, who also is the stepbrother of Finn, who can't keep his mouth shut. Finn's just lucky he didn't say anything about it in front of Rachel or that Kurt hasn't said anything to her. Actually you're both lucky."

"Why is that?"

"Well, Rachel would be pissed at Finn for making you promise something like that and she'd be upset with you that you agreed to it."

Puck thought about it and decided Blaine was right then got up, "ok I really do have to change now. And no trying to check me out."

Blaine laughed, "Don't flatter yourself, you are not my type."

"Anderson, I'm everybody's type." Both of them laughed and Puck got changed into the sweatpants and white tee that Rachel's dads brought him. Before they left the restroom Puck splashed some water on his face and ran his hand over his Mohawk. "Ok, let's go."

When Blaine and Puck got back to the waiting area the girls were already there. Brittany was talking animatedly and the other two were listening with smiles on their faces. Britt noticed the boys first, "Puck, Blaine, I was just telling San and Rae about the time Lord Tubbington robbed a bank."

"Awesome, Britt." Blaine smiled at the girl. A little bit later the other three said their goodbyes and left, not before Brittany made Rachel promise they would have a sleepover soon. Sometime during Brittany's story Rachel's hand had found its way into Puck's. The two sat in the chairs with Rachel's head resting on his shoulder.

She was just falling asleep when Nurse Sylvia came over to them. "If you want I can get you somewhere more comfortable to sleep."

"If it's not too much, that'd be cool." Puck told her being polite as possible, she had been really nice to them all day.

Sylvia smiled, "It's nothing. Just follow me." She led them to a lounge of some sort that had a couch. "I would let you use one of the beds, but we can't just in case we need it for a patient needs it. Hardly anyone comes in here so it should be okay. Here's a pillow and a blanket." She grabbed the items from a cabinet in the corner.

"Thank you," Rachel said.

"No problem, sweetie. Just try and get some sleep. Come find me in the morning and I'll take you to Quinn. If you can't find me just ask for my sister Lena and she can take you. Goodnight."

After she left, Puck and Rachel got settled on the couch. Puck laid down first, pulling Rachel down letting her use his chest as a pillow before he maneuvered the blanket over them. Once they were settled they just laid there in silence while Puck ran his fingers through her hair like he had seen Brittany doing earlier. Puck felt a wet spot forming on his shirt and realized Rachel was crying again. "What's wrong, Rach?"

"I'm just so happy she's alive. But what if she blames me, we were just starting to be friends, I don't want her to hate me again."

"She won't blame you, I know it," Puck assured her.

Rachel yawned, "Noah, sing me a song."

"Sure, give me a sec to think of one." Puck thought about it for a moment before thinking of a good one. He sang it quietly to her like a lullaby.

_It was a cold California, even in the summer. She was wrapped in a blanket by the pool. There were rapid statements about life commitments. A sense of heat that I couldn't bare to touch, I couldn't bare it._

_It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. Please stop your crying now. Woah, woah._

_There was staring and seclusion, a fine tuned way of motion, a face wrapped for a suitor. The sound of hearts pumping at the same beat coming 'round the corner, in almost all directions. A sense of heat that I couldn't bare to touch, no, I couldn't bare it._

_It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying._

_Now you wait for something to cure this. Well, I'm here under your downpour. No, woah._

_It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying. It's not your fault._

_It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. No, woah. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. No woah, no woah. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. It's not your fault so please stop your crying now. No…_

"Beautiful. Thank you," Rachel sleepily muttered before falling asleep seconds later. Puck kissed the top of her head before closing his eyes and drifting off almost immediately.

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><p><strong>AN2: Keep in mind that I wrote this and for some reason proof read it in the very late hours in the night so sorry for any mistakes. :)<strong>


	2. Let It Go, the Damage in Your Heart

**AN: Well I want to start by saying thanks so much for the reviews & alerts :) I love seeing what you guys think. And I hope you like this chapter as well. Sorry for any mistakes. Enjoy.**

**Pairings: The main pairing will probably change depending on the chapter, but as a whole it will mainly focus on Puckleberry & Quartie with Faberry, Brittberry, Raine, Puck/Blaine, Quick friendship (some others may be added as I go on, who knows really). Chapter 2 has some Puckleberry, Faberry & Quick friendship, and a tiny bit of Quartie.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. The title of the chapter is lyrics from Weezer's "The Damage In Your Heart**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2-Let It Go, the Damage in Your Heart<strong>

Puck's POV

I woke before Rachel did. At first I was confused; I had no clue where I was. Then everything came rushing back. The glee club's victory over the Warblers, Finn and Rachel's almost wedding, Quinn's accident, Rachel clinging to me, my talk with Blaine, and falling asleep with Rachel right next to me, which was something I liked way too much considering she was engaged and that we were at the hospital. Against my better judgment, I reached up to carefully push the hair out of her face. God, she was beautiful; she looked so peaceful and unbothered by all the shit that had gone down yesterday. Her full lips slightly parted and it took all I had to not kiss her. She snuggled in to me, took a deep breath, and a small smile grew on her face. I frowned, she was probably thinking of Finn right now. Why did Finn always get what I wanted? Couldn't I just have one thing for once? Then she mumbled in her sleep with that smile on her lips, "Noah." She said my name. She was thinking of me, not Finn. Before I realized it I was smiling. Sure thinking this isn't really badass, but in this little room at the hospital, I was completely content and happy for the moment, despite all the shitty things happening around us.

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><p>Rachel's POV<p>

I was having a good dream now. Earlier in the night, I had a horrible nightmare about Quinn getting in a car accident. But right now I was having a pretty good dream. I was lying with someone. He gently brushed my hair back away from my face with calloused hands. I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his warmth. I couldn't help but smile; I felt really happy. I breathed in his scent. Gosh, I always did loved how he smelled. It was a smell that was just completely him, only he smelled this way. It was completely Noah. Wait, what? Why was dreaming about being exceedingly happy while lying with Noah when I was engaged to Finn? Then it hit me, I wasn't dreaming and my nightmare hadn't been a nightmare at all. This was reality and I really was practically lying on top of Noah on the hospital lounge room couch and Quinn actually had been in an accident. I took a deep breath to calm myself; oh my, he really did smell good. Stop that, I scolded myself. This was not the time to be having all these feelings. You are engaged to Finn and are most definitely not supposed to be feeling like this towards Noah, I said in my head. To which a little voice replied, well, maybe there's a reason I was that happy I was so happy to be with him in my dream. That's when I tuned it out and opened my eyes. I looked up until mine met with a pair of hazel eyes and my stomach did a little flip. Oh gosh, this was not good; I need to stop this. Quinn, just think about seeing if Quinn is okay.

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><p>Nobody's POV<p>

Puck could feel her waking up. She moved to look up at him and spoke quietly, "I was hoping her being in an accident had just been a bad dream."

He hugged her tighter, "yeah, me too."

Both of them got up and stretched. They slipped their shoes back on and headed to their separate bathrooms. It was 9:00 and they still two hours until the rest of the glee club would start showing up. Rachel and Puck met up and walked toward the nurses' station looking for Sylvia. They didn't see her, but there was a woman there that looked similar to her. The nurse's hair was down to her shoulders and she was a little taller, but the resemblance was there. Rachel spoke first, "Are you Lena?"

She looked up from her papers at the teenagers and smiled, "yes I am, and you must be the two my sister was telling me about. I'm supposed to take you to Miss Fabray's room, correct?"

Puck spoke up this time, "yes, please."

Lena looked through some papers quick and came around the desk, "Alright, just follow me." She turned and started walking down the hall. Rachel looked to Puck and grabbed his hand. He squeezed hers before they turned and followed the nurse to Quinn's room. The nurse stopped in front of the door, "here it is. She woke up about an hour ago; she might be a little out of it due to the pain medication, but those effects should wear off soon. You can go in whenever you're ready." Lena smiled at them once more before leaving them.

Rachel turned to Puck again and had a worried expression on her face, "Noah, what if she doesn't want to see me? What if she blames me?"

He reached up and took her face in his hands, "Rach, listen, she won't blame you. And she'll be happy to see you so don't worry. Plus you heard the nurse; she's gonna be a little loopy right now anyway so let's go."

She nods and they go in hand in hand. Quinn turns her head away from the TV and a smile forms on her face as she sees her two visitors. Puck nudges Rachel and gives her an "I told you so" look. "Hey guys," Quinn let out a giggle, "you guys are sooo cute together. So cute. Soo cute." She started to kind of sing the last part.

Puck suppressed the urge to let out a "hell yeah" and Rachel tried to ignore the thrill that went through her as Quinn said that. "How are you feeling, Quinn?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck. Oops, wrong thing to say. That wasn't funny." She frowned, but it quickly turned back into a smile, "Yes it was funny."

Puck couldn't contain his laughter anymore, "You should be on drugs more often, Q." Rachel smacked his chest, but laughed. The two sat next to each other in the chairs that where next to the bed. They sat there with Quinn while she came down from her high.

It was quiet for a little bit until Quinn spoke again with a serious tone, "they say I'll be in a wheelchair for a while."

Rachel reached to hold Quinn's hand. She was about to say something encouraging, but Puck spoke first. "Well, now you and Artie can have races."

"Noah!"

"What, s'true." Quinn just laughed at them. She was grateful for them being there. The three of them talked some more about different things.

It was getting close to 11 and Puck wanted to give Rachel some time to talk to Quinn alone. "I'm gonna go out to the waiting area for everyone. That way I can show 'em which room." He let go of Rachel's hand and stood to leave.

There was silence for a little while after he left before Rachel spoke, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Quinn really hoped that Rachel hadn't been blaming herself.

"I'm so sorry." Rachel said with tears in her eyes.

Quinn squeezed her hand, "Rachel, this isn't your fault."

A tear made its way down her cheek, "If I hadn't decided to move the wedding up and if I hadn't been texting you, this wouldn't have happened."

"Rachel, stop. What happened is not your fault in anyway. It was just coincidence, this could've happened any day, to anyone; plus it was my fault for texting and driving anyway. So stop now, I don't want to hear another word about you being at fault."

"Ok," Rachel wiped the tears away with her free hand. "I'm really glad you're okay."

"Me too," Quinn paused before saying, "Rach, honestly no offence, but you don't look so great. Have you been here all night?"

Rachel let out a laugh, "Yes, one of the nurses let Noah and I sleep on the couch in the lounge room."

"Just you and Puck?"

"Yeah, why?" Rachel asked.

Quinn shrugged, "I just figured Finn would stay with you."

"Oh. Well, he didn't really say anything to me once he got here."

"Why not?" Quinn's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not sure, but Noah was there for me so it's ok." Rachel even sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Quinn was about to say how it wasn't ok because Finn was her fiancé so he should be there for her, but Puck reappeared in the doorway. "Hey Rach, Brittany is here and looking for you."

Rachel got a smile on her face, "Well then, I'll go and let you guys talk." Rachel got up and gave Quinn a light hug careful of the wires and her injuries. Quinn could only use one of her arms to hug Rachel since the other one was in a cast. She didn't miss the way Rachel stopped to smile up at Puck or the way he smiled at her.

Quinn decided not to bring up that subject right away, "So Brittany is looking for Rachel?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Puck chuckled, "Yeah, it's only been a day and Britt has declared Rachel her new best friend."

"What about Santana?" Surprised she was against this.

"Oh, Rachel is her best friend without, and I quote, sweet lady kisses." Puck shook his head in amusement and took a seat next to the bed.

Quinn laughed, but then got serious again, "So what's up with Finn not talking to Rachel?"

"Not sure," he debated on whether or not he should share what Blaine had told him. Finally, he decided that it would help to have her opinion, "Blaine thinks it's because Finn probably feels like he's in love with you again since he almost lost you."

This is what Quinn had feared once Rachel had told her Finn wasn't talking to her. She sighed, she felt bad for Rachel and she really hoped Blaine was wrong, but she had a feeling he wasn't. "Ugh, why does he have to be such an idiot sometimes? The last thing I want is for Rachel to hate me…and since when have you and Blaine been besties?"

"Ok, Fabray. We're not besties. He stayed later last night and talked to me while Britt and Satan were with Rach. And she won't hate you."

"I see. Did he talk to you about how you feel about Rachel?"

Puck groaned, "Not you too."

"So he did."

"Is it really that obvious?" he complained.

Quinn giggled, "Pretty much, well to everyone but her. Just like even though she's with Finn at the moment, you are completely oblivious to it, and she won't admit it, she pretty much feels the same way."

This time it was Puck getting cut off by someone at the door. Rachel popped her head in, "Everyone else is here. I think they all want to talk turns coming in. Oh, and we got a hold of your mom and she's on her way back now."

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><p>At first everyone came in at once; the whole glee club was there, as well as Mr. Schue, Miss Pillsbury, and Coach Sylvester. Eventually people began alternating who was in the room, giving them the chance to talk privately. Not everyone did and most of them came in pairs. Artie was the first glee member to come in alone. He wheeled himself next to her bed and smiled at her.<p>

Rachel and Puck had agreed to tell Artie about how she would be in a wheelchair for the time being and figured he could help her transition better. The two sat in silence for a while after they exchanged greetings. Finally, Quinn turned to him, "Is it hard?"

Artie knew she was talking about being in a chair, "It gets easier, but some days are worse than others." He didn't want to lie and say that everything would be perfectly ok, because honestly some days really sucked.

Quinn nodded, she appreciated his honesty. "They say I'll be in a chair indefinitely depending on how well I do in physical therapy."

"Well, I'm sure you will do well." The blonde girl turned to him trying to gauge his sincerity. He seemed to realize what she was doing and spoke again, "Seriously, you are one of the strongest people I know. You've been through a lot and you have managed to turn it around. I mean, yes, you had some low points, but you were able to come back to the surface."

Quinn didn't mean to let a few tears trickle down as she took in his words; she blamed it on the pain and medication. Either way she reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you. If I could hug you right now I would."

He just laughed before telling her, "It's all good, I'll just take a rain check." Quinn laughed with him and they just talked for a bit. Soon there was a knock on the door signaling another visitor. Artie told her he was glad she was ok and that he'd see her later before leaving. Quinn was still smiling and thinking how she was looking forward to seeing him again, when Finn came into the room.

"Hey, how ya doing?" Finn started.

Quinn wanted yell at him for asking such a stupid question. She was in the hospital confined to a bed, unable to walk our use her left arm; how did he think she was doing? But she stopped herself; this was Finn she was talking to. "I've been better."

Finn nodded and took a seat. Much like with the others his visit started with silence, neither person knowing what to say. After a while, Finn spoke up and said the words she had been dreading to hear since talking to Rachel and Puck that morning, "Quinn, I love you."

She wanted to groan in annoyance, but she settled for sighing in frustration as she thought of what to say. "No, you don't Finn."

His face screwed up in confusion; this obviously not being the response he had expected. "Yes, I do. I almost lost you and it made me realize that I shouldn't have let you go."

"Exactly, Finn, you almost lost me. Whenever you feel like you are losing Rachel or me when you're with one of us you change your mind. And it's getting exhausting…for both of us."

Finn shook his head, "I'll end things with Rachel for good this time. I only want you."

Quinn really wanted to smack him to get him to realize what she was saying. "I don't like you like that anymore, Finn. And even if I did, Rachel and I are finally friends and there is no way I would ruin that." Finn left the room. Quinn wasn't alone for long because her mother finally made it. Puck came back to tell her goodbye; he had to go watch his little sister, but he promised to come back the next day.

Meanwhile in the lobby, Finn offered Rachel a ride home. She accepted, glad he was talking to her again. Before they left Rachel excused herself to use the restroom. Once she was done, she headed to Quinn's room to tell her goodbye. "Hey, Quinn, I'm going to go, but I'll be back tomorrow."

"Wait, Rach, can I talk to you quick before you go?" Quinn looked to her mother, silently asking for privacy. Her mom mentioned something about going to get something to drink and talking to the doctor.

Rachel walked over to Quinn's bed, "Sure, what is it?"

"Well…umm…ugh," Quinn didn't know how to start, "Just promise you won't be mad at me. I didn't want this to happen and I was glad we started being friends and I don't want it to be ruined already."

"Quinn, what happened? Why would I be mad?" The concern in Rachel grew.

The blonde girl reached for the diva's hand, "Please, just don't be mad at me."

"I won't be mad at you. Just tell me what's going on."

Quinn took a deep breath and started, her words spilling out, "Finn came in here and told me he loves me. I told him I didn't love him because I really don't. And I told him that I would never do that to you 'cause like I just said I'm really glad we don't hate each other anymore. I'm sorry, but I had to tell you. I don't know if he would say anything, but if he didn't, I couldn't let you be with him if he didn't feel the same about you. You would end up getting hurt and I would feel terrible because you don't deserve that. You deserve to be happy and with someone who will give you they're all and not keep switching his mind between two people." Quinn finally finished her rant that rivaled even Rachel's and looked up at the girl, hoping this didn't ruin their newly made friendship.

Rachel didn't speak, she couldn't; she was still processing everything Quinn had just said. She believed what Quinn had said, she could tell the girl was telling the truth and being sincere. And she wasn't angry with Quinn, it wasn't her fault. Quinn didn't force her fiancé to tell her that he loved her, that was all him. Both of them had been stuck in a love triangle with Finn ever since he joined glee club. It was like they were two flies trapped in a spider's web. The spider focusing on one, but once it noticed the other one struggling to get free, it went to it make sure it wouldn't break away. Whenever Finn noticed Quinn or Rachel moving on he had to stop them, making sure neither of them could. He was greedy. He didn't know what he wanted. And he didn't care who he hurt trying to figure it out.

Quinn became nervous that Rachel wasn't talking, "Rach, please say something."

The girl in question shook out of her thoughts and focused on Quinn, "I'm not mad at you. You did nothing wrong. Well actually the only thing we both did wrong was let him do this to us. Now, Finn offered me a ride home and it seems we have a lot to discuss. I will be back tomorrow, I promise." Quinn nodded as Rachel gave her another hug. Once she left, Quinn let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. All of a sudden she felt tired so she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

* * *

><p>Rachel sat in Finn's car staring out the window as he took her home. She had decided not to say anything to him; seeing if he would say anything. So far he hadn't, he was just rambling on about random things. He didn't even notice that she wasn't really paying attention. A few minutes later they pulled up her house. She thought he had just been waiting until now to tell her so she would be able to leave quickly. However, when she turned to face him he leaned into kiss her as he spoke, "Bye. See you tomorrow?"<p>

She recoiled away from him as if his touch would burn. He wasn't going to tell her. He had planned on just staying with her, even though he had confessed his love to another. This is when the anger rose in her like never before and she slapped him across the face, hard.

"What the hell, Rach?"

"You are despicable. You tell Quinn you love her and she rejects you so you just act like nothing happened and try to kiss me. You thought just because we haven't been friends that long that she wouldn't tell me?" He didn't say anything, his eyes trained on the floor. "Answer me!"

"I…uhh…well, yeah I didn't think…"

Rachel practically ripped the engagement ring from the necklace she was wearing it on and threw it at him, "I can't believe I almost married you. How stupid could I be? I should have listened to Quinn and my fathers." She grabbed her bag and started to leave the vehicle.

"Rachel, wait," he grabbed a hold of her wrist, which she quickly tore away from his grasp.

"No, Finn, I'm done. For good. I'm sick of you jerking me back and forth. One minute you want me, the next you want Quinn. And I'm so tired of it." She got out and made her way up to her house. Her dads weren't home and for that she was grateful. She didn't want to talk to them about this at the moment. As soon as she made it to her room and shut the door, she dropped her bag on the floor, collapsing along with it. She leaned her back against the door and sobbed. Once she calmed herself enough she dug out her phone and made a call. When they answered, she spoke in between cries, "Can you come over now, please? The door's unlocked." The person on the other side complied and she hung up. She held her knees to her chest and cried while she waited.

**AN2: hmm…who did she call? Well, I don't even know yet haha I have an idea, but I tend to change my mind sometimes so I can honestly say that I can't wait to find out :p anyway let me know what you think & again sorry for any mistakes**


	3. Watch Your Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or "Boys Boys Boys" by Lady Gaga**

**Chapter 3-Watch Your Heart**

"Rachie?"

"I'm in here, Britt."

When Brittany made it to the living room, Rachel was sitting on the couch with a glass of water in her hands. The blonde took in her new friend's appearance and rushed to hug her. "Oh, Rachie, what happened?" Rachel proceeded to tell Brittany everything that happened. The girls sat and talked for a while. Brittany cheered Rachel up by telling her all sorts of crazy stories involving Lord Tubbington. Britt had just finished a story before she clapped her hands together and squealed, "Oh, I know what will make you feel better."

Rachel smiled, "what?"

"A makeover and shopping, oh and we can sing song together in glee. It will be so much fun, Rachie."

The brunette frowned slightly, "I don't know, Brittany; the last makeover I had didn't go over well."

The smile never left Brittany's face, "That's because you weren't with me, silly. Please." She gave Rachel puppy dog eyes and pouted; a face that Rachel could not deny. When she relented, Brittany hugged her. "Ok let's get started," she said as she pulled Rachel up off the couch. The two girls went up to Rachel's room and started sorting through her clothes. Rachel did have some "normal clothes" but explained to Brittany that she decided not to wear them after the slushies began; not wanting her nice clothes to be ruined. Brittany grabbed Rachel's hand, "Don't worry. You won't get slushied again. I can't let those meanies slushy my new best friend. As president I forbid it."

Once the sorting of the clothes was finished, they went to the salon first. Rachel was a little nervous about cutting her hair, but Brittany assured her that she wasn't going to have them cut a lot off nor do something drastic to it. Brittany may not be the smartest, but when it came to fashion and makeovers she was a genius. So after the hair dresser cut a couple inches off and added some layers the two girls headed to the mall.

A few hours later, the girls collapsed on Rachel's bed; leaving shopping bags scattered on the floor. Rachel let out a laugh, "This is the first time I've actually shopped till I dropped."

"Well don't worry; we can do this a lot since we're friends now." Brittany said before sitting up, pulling Rachel up with her. Even Rachel had to admit Brittany had so much energy that she was having trouble keeping up. "Now we pick a song and figure out what you're gonna wear."

After hours of picking the perfect outfit and then a song and practicing it, the girls were exhausted. Brittany and Rachel made plans to meet in the parking lot in the morning so they could walk in together. Before Rachel went to bed she glanced at the outfit they had picked out and laughed. Brittany had thought it fitting to pick out a cute orange sleeveless shirt that had the word "free" written on it in cursive and the silhouettes of a few birds around it. The blonde had told her that it was perfect because Rachel was, at last, Finn-free. Skinny jeans were laid out beside it, along with a grey cardigan in case of the unpredictable Ohio weather. Sitting on the floor were orange peep-toe heels to go with it. With a smile Rachel fell asleep easily knowing that this was her new beginning and she have to go through it alone.

In the morning, she was greeted with a delicious breakfast from her fathers. To say they were shocked by her wardrobe change was a massive understatement. So as they ate she explained everything. They were furious of course, but when Rachel wasn't looking they sent each other relieved glances. The two men didn't like that their child was hurting, but they were thrilled Finn was out of the picture. Once she washed her plate off and informed them she was visiting the hospital after school she left.

"I love your hair Rae," Brittany chirped when they met. Rachel had left her hair wavy and placed a silver knotted headband in her hair.

Santana looked the tiny girl over and smiled sincerely at her, "Looking good, B." Rachel blushed slightly and mumbled thanks. She wasn't used to the compliments, let alone compliments and a non-malicious nickname coming from Santana Lopez. The Latina spoke again, "I know I haven't been very nice to you in the past…" Rachel looked at her with a raised eyebrow which caused the taller girl to laugh, "Okay so I've been absolutely terrible to you, but I want to change that. Britt means a lot to me and she cares about you so I do too. And I figure that if you and Quinn can be friends there is no reason why we can't."

Rachel smiled up at Santana, "I'd like that."

Brittany hopped up and down, "Yay! Now let's go show off our new best friend to everyone." The bubbly girl stood in the middle of the brunettes and held Santana's hand and linked her pinky with Rachel's. Before entering the school she turned to Rachel, "Rae, I hope you don't get mad, but I told Santana what happened. That way if Finn tries to bother you we can take care of him."

The diva smiled at her new friends concern, "that's fine, Britt. Thank you." As soon as the doors opened all eyes were on them and the attention made Rachel shrink.

Santana noticed and encouraged her, "Don't let them bother you. Act like you own the place and pretty soon you will." Repeating words her mother told her when she was insecure. Rachel smiled and held her head up, ignoring the whispers. The trio made it to Rachel's locker and just talked while she retrieved her things.

"Hey Rach!" Puck walked up and immediately froze when he took in her appearance and her company. Brittany heard him mutter a "whoa" under his breath and she excused herself and Santana for the moment, leaving the pair alone. "You look different."

Rachel looked up at him shyly, "Good different or bad different?"

"Definitely good different," he answered almost too quickly. He coughed, "Not that you didn't look good before, but this suits you. Nice shirt by the way."

"Thanks. Yeah, Brittany thought it appropriate given the circumstances."

Puck's brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's like the shirt says. I'm free. Finn-free to be exact," she said with a small smile as she gestured to the ring-free necklace and finger. Rachel liked the way that sounded. It was like a weight had been lifted as she realized she was completely and forever over Finn Hudson.

"What happened? Are you okay?" He said with worry, trying to hide the excitement he felt. Puck couldn't help but think about how right Blaine was.

"I'm fine, Noah. I've never been better. Now you can walk me to class and I'll tell you what happened as long as you promise not to go off and try to kill someone, meaning Finn." Puck already didn't like the sound of that, but he begrudgingly promised before offering his arm. He couldn't help but wish he could have her on his arm all the time. Puck silently decided that he was going to try to get Rachel Berry back; completely unaware that it wouldn't be that hard and that Brittany was already way ahead of him. Down the hall, Brittany smiled at Santana as they watched Rachel link her arm with his as they walked to class before going to their own classes. Her plan was started and she was determined to get them back together.

* * *

><p>By the time glee club started all of New Directions knew about the Finchel situation as they had been given the story at lunch. After they learned what had happened they began forming a protective barrier around Rachel whenever Finn was near. They even made sure she was never alone when she was in the halls. The ridiculousness of it made Rachel want to laugh, but she was also glad to have her friends backing her up. To say Kurt was unhappy with his step-brother was the understatement of the year. As usual the students arrived in the choir room before Mr. Schue, which gave Kurt the time to completely explode on Finn.<p>

Mr. Schue walked in as Kurt disowned the taller teen. "What is going on in here?"

Kurt turned to their teacher, "Well, Finn, want to tell him what you did or will one of us have to?" Finn stayed silent in his seat. "Fine, Finn decided that yesterday at the hospital was the perfect time to confess his love for Quinn, just hours after he was supposed to get married to Rachel. He was rejected and offered our future Broadway star a ride home. Quinn told Rachel what happened before she left with him. On the way, he didn't bring it up and neither did she. When they reached Casa Berry, she realized he was just going to act like he hadn't professed his love to another and she was smart and broke it off."

Will stood there with a look of pure shock, not knowing what to say. Before he could formulate any kind of response Puck spoke to Finn with so much venom it even made the older man flinch, "Hudson, I should come over there and beat the life out of you. But I promised I wouldn't. You have her to thank for that; she should want me to, but she doesn't because she's ten times the person you are."

The choir teacher watched as Rachel placed a hand on the angry teens arm to calm him down. She gave him a smile before turning to Mr. Schuester, "Brittany and I put together a fun piece we'd like to share."

"Sounds good, whenever you are ready." Rachel took off her cardigan that way the word on her shirt could be read clearly. Her and the blond met at the front and smiled at each other as the music started.

(_Rachel _**Brittany **both)

_Hey there sugar baby_

_Saw you twice at the pop show_

_You taste just like glitter mixed with rock and roll_

_I like you a lot lot_

_Think you're really hot hot_

**I know you think you're special**

**When we dance real crazy**

**Glam-aphonic, electronic, disco baby**

**I like you a lot lot**

**Think you're really hot hot**

Boys boys boys

We like boys in cars

Boys boys boys

Buy us drinks in bars

Boys boys boys

With hairspray and denim

Boys boys boys

We love them

_Baby is a bad boy_

_With some retro sneakers_

_Let's go see The Killers_

_And make out in the bleachers_

_I like you a lot lot_

_Think you're really hot hot_

**Let's go to the party**

**Heard our buddy's the DJ**

**Don't forget my lipstick**

**I left it in you ashtray**

**I like you a lot lot**

**All we want is hot hot**

Boys boys boys

We like boys in cars

Boys boys boys

Buy us drinks in bars

Boys boys boys

With hairspray and denim

Boys boys boys

We love them

Boys boys boys

We like boys in cars

Boys boys boys

Buy us drinks in bars

Boys boys boys

With hairspray and denim

Boys boys boys

We love them

**I'm not loose, I like to party**

**Let's get lost in your Ferrari**

**Not psychotic or dramatic**

_I like boys and that is that_

_Love it when you call me legs_

**In the morning buy me eggs**

_Watch your heart when we're together_

_Boys like you love me forever_

Boys boys boys

We like boys in cars

Boys boys boys

Buy us drinks in bars

Boys boys boys

With hairspray and denim

Boys boys boys

We love them

Boys boys boys

We like boys in cars

Boys boys boys

Buy us drinks in bars

Boys boys boys

With hairspray and denim

Boys boys boys

We love them

We love them

Once the song was over the duet singers looked at each other and laughed. Rachel liked that she sang something sort of silly for a change; it reminded her that she didn't always have to belt out ballads. The rest of the club, minus Finn, clapped and cheered. The girls took their seats and the class went on. Soon enough the final bell went off and the gleeks parted ways. After Rachel, Brittany, and Santana made plans for a sleepover Rachel headed to the hospital.

* * *

><p>"Hey Quinn," Rachel knocked before entering the bedridden girl's room.<p>

Quinn was at first surprised by the girl's new attire before smiling, "Let me guess, Brittany?"

"Yep," the brunette laughed as she took a seat next to Quinn's bed.

"I like it. So what happened once you left?" She asked getting straight to point.

Rachel's voice got quiet and she gazed at the floor, "He wasn't going to say anything." Quinn reached and grasped for Rachel's hand. Rachel looked up at her, "he was just going to stay with me. If you hadn't said anything, I probably would still be engaged to him while he was in love with someone else."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's his. I just want to say thank you for telling me."

"Anytime," Quinn smiled, "now tell me what I missed. Did anything exciting happen?"

Rachel chuckled, "Well, this weekend I'm having a sleepover with Brittany and Santana." She put emphasis on the "and Santana" part, which made Quinn raise her eyebrow. "Yeah as of today Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez are starting over and being friends. Gosh I never thought I'd ever say that. Oh and you missed Kurt go off on Finn."

"Sounds fun," the blond pouted a little bit making both of them laugh.

While they were talking there was a knock on the door and Nurse Sylvia entered, "Hello, I just came to check on your vitals. Oh, hi Rachel. How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm good, thank you. And thanks for letting us use the lounge couch the other night."

"It's no problem, Hun," she said as she looked over Quinn. "You and that boy of yours make a very cute couple. I hope you two slept comfortably," Sylvia added. Before Rachel could say anything she was out of the room.

A blush crept up on Rachel's face as she thought of what Quinn had said the day before and the dream about Noah that night. "That's two days in a row now."

Quinn had been smiling at how flustered Rachel seemed before being confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, yesterday when Noah and I walked in you told us we were sooo cute together."

"Huh, I don't remember that, but it's true."

The brunette's eyes widened and she was about to protest when a familiar voice came from the doorway. "What's true?" Rachel almost choked on air.

Quinn was very amused and she beamed up at him, "Well, speak of the devil."

"So you ladies were talking about me, huh?" Quinn nodded. "Are you going to tell me what about?" Quinn shook her head. "I figured." Puck settled into the chair next to Rachel's. Quinn didn't miss the way he draped his arm around the back of her chair or the way Rachel leaned in towards him without realizing it. She shot him a knowing look, which made him roll his eyes. Although on the inside he was happy that he wasn't just imagining things.

"So Rachel tells me Kurt went off on Finn?" she asked Puck. The blond had been surprised Finn hadn't ended up in a hospital bed when Puck found out.

"Yeah, he disowned him and everything. I have a feeling Carol and Burt aren't going to be much better. He's lucky Rach made me promise not to hurt him." Well that answered her silent question. "I still don't see why though."

Rachel shot him an admonishing look, "Noah, I didn't want you to get in trouble or hurt. Besides I already slapped him so…"

Both Quinn and Puck's eyes grew large. Quinn spoke first, "Wait, you slapped him? And why didn't you mention this before?"

"Or at least let me know so I could get a picture or something?" Rachel smacked Puck's arm. "Whoa, what happened to the violence is never the answer Rachel?" The three of them laughed. Puck and Rachel stayed until Mrs. Fabray arrived. Once they said their goodbyes they left the room. On their way to the parking lot, Rachel invited him over for dinner, which he accepted.

Puck always liked spending time with the Berry's. They were exactly how he had always pictured a dad was supposed to be like. Rachel's dads treated him like family. And they treated him normally despite whatever that had heard about his reputation; just like Rachel. It was one of the things he liked the most about her; that she never judged him off of how he used to act or sometimes still acted.

Rachel had managed to convince him to stick around long enough to watch a movie; not that he took much convincing when it came to spending time with her. Sometime during the film Rachel snuggled herself into his side, resting her head on his chest; the sound of his heart beating lulling her to sleep. Puck would have been content to just stay like that, but it was a school night and he didn't really know how Rachel would feel about that. So he gently picked her up and carried her to her bed. Once he was finished, he left for home with a smile on his face.

**AN: Ok so not the longest chapter but hey things have been going crazy lately. Anyway hope you like it and sorry for any mistakes. I recently got a polyvore account going so if you want to see Rachel's "Finn-free" outfit go to www dot polyvore dot com/free/set?id=58188216 just take out the spaces, change the word dots to actual ones, and hopefully that works (I still haven't been able to figure out the best way to post links on here haha so sorry 'bout that) and if that doesn't work just look up my profile which is under reya-selene. :)**


	4. I'd Be Good to You

**AN: Sorry for the wait. I'm really struggling on my Puckleberry stories; my muse is getting distracted by other shows and stuff and I'm trying really hard to keep her on track. It doesn't help that there's no on-show inspiration anymore to keep me going. I've been getting lots of ideas for different fanfics for other shows, but I want to finish up at least two of my Glee fics before starting any of those so again sorry for the slowness. Anywho, the song used in the title and in the chapter is **_**Good to You**_** by Marianas Trench, who if you didn't know is a fabulous band. The lyrics are from the music video version featuring Jessica Lee, which I prefer to the version featuring Kate Voegele. Not that they're not both good cuz they are. Anyway on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the song.**

**Chapter 4-I'd Be Good to You**

Quinn sat in the hospital bed flipping through the channels, groaning when she couldn't find anything. Rachel couldn't visit due to her dance class, Puck was watching his little sister, and she wasn't really sure what any of her other friends were up to. So she was pleasantly surprised when Artie entered the room. Quinn smiled at her visitor who had unknowingly saved her from her boredom. "Hey!" she greeted with a smile.

"Hey, how's it going?" Artie inquired as he wheeled to her bedside.

"Alright, just a little bored." The boy nodded and seemed a little unsure on what to say. It was no secret that the two of them normally had little interaction outside of glee club. Quinn sensed his uncertainty and continued speaking, "My doctor says I should be okay to go home in a few days."

"That's good. Will you be coming back to school right away?"

"It depends on how quickly my arm heals; I want to be able to wheel myself around rather than depend on someone to push me everywhere." Quinn explained. She let out a little laugh, "I never thought I'd be happy to be back in school, but I'm sick of doing nothing. Plus I miss everyone."

Artie laughed, 'Yeah, you're missing out on Brittany's Operation Puckleberry 2.0."

"Oh, I know," she pouted slightly. The only time she could help on Brittany's mission to get the pair together was when they came to visit her.

The sight of Quinn Fabray pouting was enough to make Artie laugh more. "We have a pool going, if you want it," he joked.

Quinn rolled her eyes before getting serious, "So they told me the basics about my recovery and using a wheelchair."

Artie gave her a small smile, "You'll get the hang of it, and you will have me to help you. I'll even teach you how to do the fun stuff. Plus you've already had some practice when we did Proud Mary." He demonstrated by spinning around, making the blonde smile.

"Oh, good. Puck mentioned we could have races," she laughed.

"He would suggest that. And you know if you ever need to talk about it…" he trailed off.

Quinn grinned, "Thanks." The two talked about various topics over the next hour or so, including nationals. They both agreed that their best chances of winning were with a Rachel Berry solo or a Puck and Rachel duet. Artie finally left after getting a call from his parents, leaving Quinn alone again.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week passed without much incident, other than a couple of Finn tantrums. Neither Rachel nor Puck had made a move much to the chagrin of their friends. Brittany and Santana made plans on grilling Rachel on the subject during their sleepover. And Blaine, with a little push from Kurt, resolved to talk to Puck about it.<p>

Blaine waited until they were in the workout room on Friday afterschool. He didn't bring it up until he was sure no one was around. He was spotting his mohawked friend and in between lifts he spoke, "So anything new with you and Rach?"

Puck slowed in his actions to send him a suspicious glance, "No, why?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because the tension and obvious chemistry between you two is becoming almost unbearable. I know Kurt and Brittany are about to just lock you guys in a closet until you get together."

Puck rolled his eyes at the dramatics of the plan, but he wouldn't put it passed the pair to follow through with it, "It's only been a week since her and that douchebag broke up; not even that."

"True, but some of them have been hoping for this for a long time."

"Yeah will, so have I and I don't want to mess it up."

Blaine nodded in understanding, "You should just ask her to hang out and see how it goes from there. It's obvious she feels the same even if she doesn't completely realize it."

"Sure, whatever," Puck quickly changed the subject and continued with his workout.

* * *

><p>Later that night Rachel, Brittany, and Santana were hanging out in Rachel's room. Brittany was braiding Rachel's hair while Santana painted her nails. The three girls had been talking about a bunch of random things when Brittany asked seemingly innocently, "So Rachie, when are you and Puck gonna get back together?" Santana briefly froze in her nail painting, gauging Rachel's reaction.<p>

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Rachel answered.

Santana rolled her eyes, "She's talking about the crazy amount of sexual tension between you guys; it's practically making everybody else horny." Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but the Latina cut her off, "And none of this stuff about him not liking you like that because let me tell you he does. I think you're the only one that doesn't notice the way he looks at you or the dopey smile he gets when you're around."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"Nope, San is right."

"Even if I did have feelings for Noah and he happened to return those feelings, I just got out of a pretty serious relationship. I thought the whole point of this new and improved me was to be single for a while, to be free."

"Ok, one, you do have feelings for Puckerman. Two, he does happen to return those feelings. You guys are just insanely blind to the obvious," Santana retorted.

Brittany continued, "And three, the point of this is for you to be happy."

Santana nodded at Brittany's addition, "Britt's right, you are free; free to do whatever makes you happy and I'm pretty sure that includes being with Puck."

Rachel sat there for a moment taking all of this information in, "I'll think about it."

The other girls smiled and went back to their previous tasks. Once they were finished, the trio watched some movies and didn't fall asleep until late into the night.

* * *

><p>Rachel had thought that school would be a distraction from the thoughts that had been plaguing her since her talk with Brittany and Santana. But come Monday morning, she walked through the halls oblivious to the stares she was getting; preoccupied with thinking of a certain badass. The stares weren't because she had something on her face or something else embarrassing; in fact, everyone was surprised by her outfit, thinking that the normal clothes she had worn the other day were just a fluke. They were looking because once again Rachel Berry was wearing a stylish outfit and looked good in it too. She wore a black formfitting top that had lace long sleeves, a neon yellowgreen skirt, some black pumps, and some matching neon jewelry.

Puck was walking and talking with Blaine and Kurt when he saw her, "Damn." He stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face, while the other two followed his line of sight. Neither was surprised by who it was, although Kurt practically squealed when he saw her outfit and ran to compliment his friend.

Blaine watched his excited boyfriend run off with a smile before turning to the still silent teen, "If you're going to ask her out I'd hurry before someone else does."

This seemed to snap Puck out of it as he composed himself and walked over wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "Morning Rach, you look nice."

Rachel smiled up at him, "Thank you, Noah." The four of them stood and talked before the bell went off. When it did, Puck once again offered his arm and walked Rachel to class, discreetly glaring at any male that dared to stare for too long.

A few classes later the pair was at Puck's locker with Rachel leaning against the lockers with a pensive look on her face. Puck noticed and questioned her, "What's up, Rach?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Puck lifted his eyebrow and gave her a speculative look. Realizing he didn't believe her she sighed, "I was just thinking. More like, wondering. If Quinn hadn't gotten in that accident would I be married to Finn right now? And if I was, how long would it had taken to realize what a terrible mistake it was?"

Her nose wrinkled in distaste and Puck stared at her for a moment before answering, "Well, I think that regardless of Quinn's accident, you wouldn't be married to him."

Rachel quickly turned her head to look at him, searching for some sort of explanation, "What makes you say that?"

Puck chuckled remembering the looks on her fathers' faces before the ceremony was to take place, "I think you're dads or maybe even Carole or Burt would've objected and if none of them did I'm sure me or one of the others would have." They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Rachel looked away to think over this new information.

Before either of them could say anything else Quinn came over to them. "Hey guys."

"Hey Quinn, how does it feel to be back at school?" Rachel asked.

Quinn smiled at them, "good. It's better than lying in a hospital bed and now I don't have to wait for everyone to come to me with all the juicy gossip."

"What gossip?" Rachel and Puck asked in tandem while the blonde had a knowing look on her face.

"Oh you know, possible couple updates, glee drama, the usual." The mention of potential couples made Rachel blush and Puck glare. "Anyway I'll see you guys in glee; Artie and I are singing a song."

After Booty Camp, the glee club finally got to meet Blaine's big brother. And pretty soon Blaine wasn't the only one slightly annoyed with his presence. To Puck he seemed like an okay dude and his and Blaine's duet was pretty awesome, but when he overheard Rachel and Kurt whispering about how hot he was, Puck decided that Cooper needed to leave soon. The only reprieve he got from talk about the elder Anderson was the meeting about Senior Ditch Day. Quinn suggested Six Flags even though she had something else planned with Artie and Puck declared it perfect.

* * *

><p>Ditch Day finally arrived and Rachel was thrilled. Everyone met in the parking lot before heading into the amusement park. After handing in their tickets they all gathered to decide what to do first. "What first?" Mike asked.<p>

"That," Rachel pointed at the nearest roller coaster before grabbing Puck's hand and running towards it. Everyone cheerfully followed behind, with Santana, Brittany, and Kurt giving each other smiles at Rachel and Puck's still connected hands and Finn glaring at them. All throughout the day, their hands always found each other, neither knew who reached for whom first and sometimes didn't notice until they caught one of their friends glance at their linked hands. As it reached towards the end of the day, they passed the games and Puck saw Rachel eyeing some of the prizes and started tugging her over to them, "Noah, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna win you some prizes." He answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Puck won her several stuffed animals, one of which Kurt stole to give to Blaine, and another they gave to Brittany since it was a cat.

At the end of the day Puck gave Rachel a ride back to her house. When they reached their destination Rachel began gathering her prizes before handing him one, "You should give one to your sister."

Puck chuckled, "Thanks."

Rachel smiled at him and looked down at her hands, "Anyway thank you for all the prizes and the ride. I had a lot of fun today." She smiled shyly and quickly kissed his cheek before exiting the truck, not giving Puck a chance to reply. He watched her walk to her front door with a grin on his face and waved back when she waved before disappearing into the house. Only when she was completely inside did he pull out of her driveway and make his way home.

Once she shut the door she yelled out to her dads, "I'm home."

"We're in the kitchen," one of them yelled back while the other asked if she had a good time. When Rachel appeared with an armful of stuffed animals they chuckled.

"Noah, won me some prizes," she said answering their silent question with a bright smile.

"Some?" Hiram teased.

Leroy joined in, "Did they have any prizes left after you guys were gone?"

Rachel blushed, "It's not that many. I'm just gonna go put these away and get ready for bed. Goodnight." She kissed each of their cheeks and went to her room. Once she finished her nightly routine, Rachel laid wide awake in bed. Her thoughts again wandering to Noah and she thought about what made her happy. She smiled as she remembered the way it felt to hold his hand all day. Rachel carefully compared the way she acted with him to how she acted when she was with Finn. With Finn he had always been slightly embarrassed by her, subtly trying to get her to be someone else. It wasn't like that with Noah; he had never tried to change her. In fact, it was the opposite; he always tried to make sure she stayed her, as evidenced by the Barbravention. That's when Rachel realized that Noah really did make her happy and even though she was just newly single she wanted to be with him. But despite her friends' reassurance she wasn't completely sure he felt the same. With all these emotions surfacing and swarming her, she felt the urge to sing it out like she normally did, but after checking the clock Rachel realized that wasn't an option. Before falling asleep she decided to spend her free period or lunch period in the auditorium. Normally she would just perform in front of the glee club, but this time she felt like she needed to be alone first.

* * *

><p>Just like she had planned Rachel grabbed her packed lunch and set off to the auditorium. Her friends had all wondered what was she was doing. It wasn't until Santana had caught the pensive look in her eyes and silenced the rest of them. The diva had sent the Latina a grateful look before leaving for her locker. Once Rachel got onto the stage she sat in front of the piano and rested her fingers on the keys, thinking of the song she wanted. She smiled when she thought of one; it was normally a duet, but for now it would do. If everything worked out, it would be a good song for her and Puck.<p>

Speaking of Puck, he had immediately been suspicious when Rachel decided to skip lunch with them. He had a pretty good idea where she would be going. When he left the others they gave him a knowing smirk, at which he rolled his eyes. Not wanting her to know he was there, Puck stood listening in the shadows as Rachel started to sing.

_Everyone's around, no words are coming now_

_And I can't find my breath, can we just say the rest with no sound_

_And I know this isn't enough, I still don't measure up_

_And I'm not prepared; sorry is never there when you need it_

_And I do want you to know I'll hold you up above everyone_

_And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me_

_And I'd be so good to you_

_I would_

_I thought I saw a sign, somewhere between the lines_

_Maybe it's me; maybe I only see what I want_

_And I still have your letter, just got caught between_

_Someone I just invented, who I really am and who I've become_

_And I do want you to know I'll hold you up above everyone_

_And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me_

_And I'd be so good to you_

_Woahh ohh (6x)_

_And I do want you to know I'll hold you up above everyone_

_And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me_

_And I'd be so good to you._

_I would_

_I do want you to know I'll hold you up above everyone_

_And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me_

_And I'd be so good to you_

_I would_

_I'd be good to you,_

_I'd be good to you,_

_I'd be good to you,_

_I'd be so good to you_

_I'd be good to you_

_Woahh_

_So good to you_

A grin was on Puck's face as he listened to her song. He was pretty sure he knew what she was singing about and it gave him a little confidence boost. Before she could see him, he walked away towards the cafeteria to find Blaine. He needed help coming up with the perfect way to ask Rachel out and Blaine was the only one he trusted enough not to tell anyone else or give Rachel hints.

A small smile graced Rachel's face as she ended the last note of the song. She thought she saw movement from the corner of her eye, but when she turned there was nothing. Rachel shrugged and thought about the song and the feeling that accompanied it. And in that moment she decided that she was going to tell Noah how she felt soon.

**AN2: Oh yeah the black & neon outfit that Rachel's wearing when she's back at school on Monday can be found at www dot polyvore dot com /cgi/set?id=71137768 or found on my profile if you don't feel like taking out all the spaces and changing the word "dot" to actual dots :) Hope you liked the chapter and sorry again for how slow it's taking me to update any of my stories and sorry for any mistakes or typos.**


	5. Just Say the Word

**AN: Sorry for the wait again. I really hate that it's taking me so long to get these out, but life has been dumb and busy. And I've been job hunting for what seems like forever. Sometimes I wish I lived in Neverland so I'd never have to grow up but alas I live in Ohio, which is super lame. Anyway, hope you like the chapter :) and sorry for any mistakes or typos.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Glee. Nor do I own the beautiful song that is The Spill Canvas's **_**Lullaby**_**.**

**Chapter 5-Just Say the Word**

Puck groaned as he exited out of the web page, "None of these songs are right."

Blaine watched, amused, from his spot. The duo had been looking up songs for around an hour and so far none had met Puck's expectations. He wanted it to be perfect for Rachel, but he wasn't having any luck. "Why don't you just focus on coming up with a song for the disco assignment and maybe the song for Rachel will just come to you by chance," Blaine suggested.

"Because disco sucks."

The mohawked boy covered his face with his hands while Blaine quietly chuckled at his frustrated friend. His expression grew serious as he tentatively asked at question that had been in his head for a while, "Hey Puck, have you thought about what you're going to do after you graduate?"

Puck all but stopped breathing; he had been thinking about this for a while himself. "You mean assuming I actually graduate," he tried to play it off.

Blaine shook his head, "Oh, you will; I know you've brought your grades up and I saw you talking to Ms. Pillsbury. Plus Rachel won't let you_ not_ graduate."

They both smiled at the thought of what Rachel would do to insure his success. Then Puck sighed and opened one his desk drawers pulling out four pieces of brochures and handed them to Blaine. "These are all places that might accept me even with my past grades and the stint in juvie. Ms. P even had me write my essay on how it positively impacted me or whatever."

Looking down at them, a smile spread across Blaine's face when he noticed that all but one of the schools where located in NYC. "Does Rachel know?"

Puck shook his head, "I was gonna wait until I found out if I was accepted or not."

"And when will that be?"

"Ms. P says that they should be coming in the mail soon." Blaine nodded in understanding and the boys fell into a contemplative quiet.

* * *

><p>Thankfully the disco assignment passed rather quickly and the group moved on to their Whitney Houston tribute. Rachel felt her eyes water as she sang <em>How Will I Know <em>with Santana, Kurt, and Mercedes. The song voiced her fears. She had decided to tell Noah how she felt, but Rachel couldn't help the little doubt that he didn't feel the same creeping in her mind.

Later, Kurt walked with her in the halls and sensed her inner turmoil. "You know, he does. Everyone can see it but you; I don't know why you keep talking yourself out of telling him."

"How…" she was about to ask him how he knew what she was thinking when he gave her a bitch please look. "I don't know either. I told myself I would, but every time I go to tell him I freeze up or think that it isn't the right time."

"Sweetie, the right time for you guys to tell each other would have been like two years ago but then my idiot brother was in the way and yeah…" Kurt rolled his eyes while Rachel bit her bottom lip nervously. "Ok let's just forget about confessions of undying love for now and focus on the fact that our NYADA auditions are right around the corner."

Rachel nodded, "You're right. Have you decided on what song you're going to use?"

Kurt smiled at his ability to pull his best friend out of her worry spiral, "No I'm going to Between the Sheets later to look through some music. Want to come? Blaine didn't want to."

"So I'm just your backup plan?" Rachel teased while mocking hurt. Kurt nudged her arm playfully. She laughed before answering him, "I would love to…but I can't."

"Boo. Why not?" Kurt pouted.

"Sorry but Santana wants to talk to me and I don't know how long that will take," Rachel explained.

Kurt's pouting was replaced with curiosity, "Do you know what she wants?"

"Nope, I'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

><p><em>I don't know why I like it, huh, I just do<em>

Santana and Rachel danced in front of the others minus Finn, who was missing. The glee club all whooped and cheered as the two divas sang. Puck and Brittany pulled their phones out to record the performance. This was the first time the girls sang a duet together by their own choice. Once it was over, Rachel hugged Santana before taking her seat next to Puck. He wasted no time leaning closer, "That was crazy hot."

Rachel rolled her eyes and turned her head hoping to hide the blush that spread across her cheeks. Smirking, Puck glanced up at Blaine only to see the unhappy look on his face. He frowned and nudged Rachel, motioning her to look. Rachel became worried for her friends and she glanced at Kurt who was checking his phone. Seeing this made her frown deepen, something Puck didn't miss. He was about to ask if she knew something, but she was suddenly whisked away to the restroom with the other girls.

Puck didn't figure out what the look meant until later that night when Blaine called him, "Hey what's up man?"

"Kurt has been texting another guy," Blaine's voice was strained like he was trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry, dude that sucks. Do you want me to throw him in the dumpster? I haven't done that in a while." Puck joked trying to cheer the other boy up.

Blaine did let out a broken chuckle, "No, it's okay."

"Seriously man, it's not right." There was a pause and Puck wondered if the call dropped, "Blaine, you there?"

"Huh, yeah, I said something like that to him earlier and now I just thought of the perfect song to sing. Thanks. I just had to tell someone and you're one of my closest friends so just thanks."

Puck shrugged even though Blaine couldn't see, "No problem, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

The next day after Blaine's solo, Puck heard Rachel take a deep breath. "What's wrong?"

"I just hope that everything works out. Everything was going so well, I don't want it to be all messed up. I hate seeing everyone so sad."

"Who all is sad?"

"Kurt, Blaine, and Quinn," Rachel gazed at her blonde friend.

Puck's brows furrowed in confusion; this was the first time he was hearing this, "Why's Quinn sad?"

"She kind of likes Joe, but thinks that because she's in the chair that he doesn't like her," Rachel let out another sigh. Puck thought about it before pulling the brunette closer to hug her.

"It will all work out."

* * *

><p>Rachel sat on her couch, hair in a messy side braid, with a pair of cropped yoga pants and a Nike sweatshirt. Her eyes were focused on the TV while her legs were draped over Puck's lap displaying her owl socks. It gave him the perfect opportunity to admire her; she wasn't even dressed up but she still looked beautiful to him. She took a sip of some concoction that she told him would help prepare her throat for her audition. "Kurt and Blaine had couple's counseling today. I hope they worked everything out."<p>

"Me too. So have you decided what song you're singing in your audition?"

She looked over to her companion, "I think _Don't Rain on My Parade_. It's my song; my first glee solo in competition."

Puck smiled at her, "Well you'll kick ass at whatever song you choose."

"Thank you Noah," she swung her legs off him. He was about to protest the lack of warmth when Rachel snuggled into his side and hugged him. Puck wrapped his arm around her and she talked, "It's so sad to think we don't have that many glee meetings left. We've all been through so much together and soon it will be over."

"I don't think it will ever be really over. I mean just because we're not in school anymore doesn't mean we won't ever see each other again," Puck comforted her. Truthfully, he didn't want it to be over either.

Rachel closed her eyes, "Can you imagine what it would have been like without it? All the friends we wouldn't have made if Mr. Schue hadn't kept it going." She wanted to add that they never would have become what they were now, but didn't.

Puck often thought about what high school would have been like without glee; what would his life would have been like. He looked down to the girl curled into him and frowned, "It would have sucked and I would definitely have ended up a Lima Loser." He silently added that it would have sucked because he wouldn't have got to know her and that he wasn't a Lima Loser because of her.

They stayed like this for a while until Rachel spoke up, "Noah, will you sing me a song? Like that night at the hospital."

She was getting tired and he knew it so he compromised, "How bout we go to your room so you don't fall asleep on the couch and then I'll sing."

"Ok," she leaned away while Puck up and when he stood she reached her arms out for him to carry her.

Puck laughed, "You are so lazy."

"But you love me anyway," Rachel said sleepily causing him to freeze. She had no clue how right she was. He didn't answer her; instead he slipped one around her back and the other beneath her knees while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Once they reached their destination, Rachel snuggled under her covers while Puck lay on top of them. He quickly thought of a song and began sing to her. He figured she would be asleep by the time he reached the half-way point and he would be right.

_It's the way that you blush when you're nervous.  
>It's your ability to make me earn this.<br>I know that you're tired, just let me sing you to sleep.  
>It's about how you laugh out of pity,<br>'Cause let's be honest I'm not really that funny.  
>I know that you're shot, just let me sing you to sleep.<em>

_If you need anything, just the say the word._  
><em>I mean anything.<em>  
><em>Rest assured, if you start to doze, then I'll tuck you in,<em>  
><em>and plant my lips where your necklaces close.<em>

_It's those pills that you don't need to take,_  
><em>medicating perfection, now that's a mistake.<em>  
><em>I know that you're spent, just let me sing you to sleep.<em>  
><em>It's your finger and how I'm wrapped around it.<em>  
><em>It's your grace and how it keeps me grounded.<em>  
><em>I know that you're weak, just let me sing you to sleep.<em>

_If you need anything, just the say the word._  
><em>I mean anything.<em>  
><em>Rest assured, if you start to doze, then I'll tuck you in,<em>  
><em>and plant my lips where your necklaces close.<em>

_While you were sleeping I figured out everything,_  
><em>I was constructed for you, and you were molded for me.<em>  
><em>Now I feel your name, coursing through my veins.<em>  
><em>You shine so bright it's insane; you put the sun to shame.<em>

_(Oh)_

_If you need anything, just the say the word._  
><em>I mean anything. (I really do)<em>  
><em>Rest assured, if you start to doze, then I'll tuck you in,<em>  
><em>and plant my lips where your necklaces close.<em>

_If you need anything, just the say the word._  
><em>I mean anything.<em>  
><em>Rest assured, if you start to doze, then I'll tuck you in,<em>  
><em>and plant my lips where your necklaces close.<em>

When he was finished, Puck checked that she was really sleeping before kissing the top of her head. He quietly got up and made his way out of her room. The badass stopped in the doorway and whispered to the sleeping girl, "I really do love you, Rach." Puck left while his whispered confession made its way into Rachel's dreams.

Rachel woke with a smile. She had dreamed that Noah had told her he loved her, unaware that it was not a dream. Searching through her closet, she found an outfit. She grabbed the coral peep-toe heels she wore with her "Finn-free" outfit to go with the strapless floral dress and coral cardigan she picked out. Before leaving her room she grabbed a coral and blue ring. Once Rachel finished eating breakfast and saying goodbye to her dads, she left for school with a smile and the feeling that it was going to be a good day.

Puck and Rachel watched Kurt and Blaine from down the hall; all four were smiling. The observing couple was unaware that they were also being observed by another pair. Brittany and Santana were analyzing the close proximity at which the diva and badass were standing. They knew neither had said anything to change their relationship status, but that didn't mean that their subconscious weren't unaware.

Blaine and Kurt began walking towards the auditorium and Rachel quickly grabbed Puck's arm, "Come on, let's go in on the other side." Rachel gave Kurt a hug when she saw him happy again with Blaine. Puck smiled and gave Blaine a high five before the four joined Mercedes and Artie on the stage. Soon all of New Directions was on the stage singing and having fun and Rachel couldn't help but wish that they all had more time together.

**AN2: I know this chapter is shorter than the others but the next episode in the story is Choke, which is a major one for Rachel and I wanted it to be separate from this one so yeah. Oh and the two outfits described are on my polyvore account so check those out if you want. Here's the link: www dot polyvore dot com/ cgi/ set?id=73876709 …just take out the spaces and dots or just go to my profile if that's easier for you. :)**


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